When Mirra Andreeva made history in Dubai three months ago by becoming the youngest WTA 1000 champion in series history, the then 17-year-old famously thanked herself in her victory speech.
“Last but not least, I would like to thank me. I know what I have been dealing with so I want to thank me for always believing in me, I want to thank me for never quitting and always dealing with the pressure,” Andreeva told the crowd at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium during the trophy ceremony.
Three weeks later, she enjoyed another stunning run at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, where she defeated world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
She once again thanked herself during her speech. It’s not always easy for athletes to take a step back and give credit to themselves and Andreeva’s words struck a chord with many people watching.
The affable teenager realises there could be a deeper meaning behind her speech. But she is also candid about what inspired her to say those words, and she confessed her reasoning was not that deep.
“I will be honest, I didn't think of how important it is to thank yourself. I just saw an interview of Snoop Dogg before playing a final and I was like, ‘OK, if I win, I might just say that’, and that's what I did,” Andreeva said recently in Madrid.
When Snoop Dogg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2018, the American rapper famously wrapped up his speech by paying tribute to himself. “My first thought was, ‘Oh, it would be cool if I say the same’,” admitted Andreeva.
Andreeva has many standout qualities as a tennis player, her creative game earning her countless fans across the globe, ever since she broke through on the WTA tour as a 15-year-old at the Madrid Open.
But it is perhaps her authenticity that is the most likeable thing about her. So often in conversation, Andreeva can surprise you, her earnestness allowing her to share an unfiltered version of her personality.
When she reached the last-16 in Madrid on her tour-level debut two years ago, she said the most special thing about being at the Caja Magica was being able to dine with some of the biggest stars on tour.
“You see Andy Murray … you see his face and he’s so beautiful in life. He’s so amazing,” she gushed.
Her surprise run that tournament caught the eye of former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who reached out to the Russian teenager to congratulate her.
“I was super shocked that a Grand Slam champion texted me. And I was like, ‘Mom, did you see?’ I was super excited. And I still remember that moment,” Andreeva recalls.
During her first Australian Open main draw appearance last year, Andreeva rallied back from 1-5 down in the final set of her third round to defeat Diane Parry in a deciding tiebreak.
Murray was watching on TV and hailed Andreeva’s mental strength in a post on social media. She got the tweet framed and says she keeps it on her bedside table.
“I even have the photo on my phone. It's like on my wallpaper,” she beamed, reciting the content of the tweet verbatim. “I remember this tweet, like exactly how he wrote it.”
In the span of two years, Andreeva has gone from being a starry-eyed new kid on the block to becoming a household name herself, and she enters this week’s Roland Garros ranked a career-high No 6 in the world and perched nicely at No 3 in the Race to the WTA Finals.
The French Open is where Andreeva made her Grand Slam debut in 2023, and it’s the site of her best major result so far, having reached the semi-finals on Parisian clay 12 months ago.
The Roland Garros venue is also where Andreeva won a silver medal in doubles, alongside Diana Shnaider, at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“When I came here and my first practice was with Diana, so we came here and I think our first thought was it's like we never left. The time passed super quickly, and the memories are amazing,” Andreeva told reporters at Roland Garros on Friday.
“My first practice was with her, and we just kind of had some flashbacks practising on Philippe Chatrier Court. Yeah, the memories were great, and I always remember the time with a smile on my face. I think that it was a great experience for us.”
In Dubai in February, Andreeva knocked out three Grand Slam champions – Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek – en route to the title. She beat Rybakina and Swiatek again at her very next tournament, clinching the Indian Wells crown with a brave final performance against Sabalenka.
Her preparations for the French Open included back-to-back runs to the quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome, losing to Coco Gauff on both occasions, and Andreeva is high up on many pundits’ lists of top contenders for the title in Paris.
She opens her Roland Garros campaign on Tuesday against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and owns a 7-1 record in Grand Slam first-round matches.
Given her soaring success this year, Andreeva has felt a shift in how she’s being received in the locker room and around tournaments.
“I start to notice that a lot of people call me by my name, not just like, ‘Hey, how are you?’ They say, ‘Hey, Mirra’. So it feels nice,” she said with a smile.
“I feel like a lot more players kind of, not recognise me, but they got to know me more, as well. So I also get to meet new people and talk to new people. It's just nice to to meet new people.
“Sometimes I just didn't expect people to come and just have a chitchat with me or just ask how I am and all this stuff. So it's nice that people, they get to know me more, and I also start to get to know more people.”
A noticeable improvement in Andreeva’s game has been her serve, which has become an underrated weapon.
She hit 202kmph against Swiatek at Indian Wells, and says crossing the 200 threshold is something she hopes to achieve more frequently.
“We worked a lot during the pre-season on my serve. We worked a lot on jumping higher, on jumping more active with the legs, to be faster with the arm, those small details,” she explains. “I'm just super happy that the work that we did is paying off now.
“I wouldn't say that it comes naturally to me because, for example, when I was younger, I was always the smallest one. So my serve was super average. I had a good kick serve, good spin, that's the only thing I could do and I was not a great server when I was playing juniors.”
Andreeva has just turned 18 and is the second-youngest player in the Roland Garros women’s main draw. She may be young but having been highly-touted since she was 15, Andreeva feels experienced when it comes to handling the pressure of expectations.
She has a brilliant coach in her corner in the form of ex-Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez and uses all available tools at her disposal to work on her mindset, even watching YouTube videos of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant interviews to help develop a killer instinct.
She has followed a simple approach since her triumph in Dubai.
“Someone told me not to think about anything else but just the point that you're playing right now and you just have to focus on a point that is going on,” she says.
“If it didn't go your way, you forget it happened and then you start to focus from zero again on the point that you have to play. And that's how I try to play in Dubai and Indian Wells and every tournament I play, that if the point didn't go my way, I just forget it happened and I just try to focus from zero to win the next one.”
It is fair to say she can cause some serious damage in Paris if she sticks to that mentality.
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adil%20El%20Arbi%20and%20Bilall%20Fallah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWill%20Smith%2C%20Martin%20Lawrence%2C%20Joe%20Pantoliano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
SPECS
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EMen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saif%20Al%20Zaabi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Zayed%20Al%20Ansaari%2C%20Saud%20Abdulaziz%20Rahmatalla%2C%20Adel%20Shanbih%2C%20Ahmed%20Khamis%20Al%20Blooshi%2C%20Abdalla%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Hammadi%2C%20Mohammed%20Khamis%20Khalaf%2C%20Mohammad%20Fahad%2C%20Abdulla%20Al%20Arimi.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozah%20Al%20Zeyoudi%2C%20Haifa%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Ayesha%20Al%20Mutaiwei.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
